Electric switch operating and holding device



Oct. 18, 1932. R. E. TAFEL ELECTRIC SWITCH OPERATING AND HOLDING DEVICEFiled Feb. 3, 1930 R087: E. TAFEL 11v VENTOR B Y X o-lw. C.

A TTORNEY Patented Oct. 18, 1932 ROBERT E. TAFEL, OF LOUISVILLE,KENTUCKY ELECTRIC SWITCH OPERATING .AND HOLDING DEVICE Application filedFebruary 3, 1930. Serial No. 425,632

This invention relates to improvements in an electric switch operatingand holding device, in which the switch point of a railway track isthrown from one position to another by a mechanical force resulting fromelectric current being applied to solenoids, in the preferred form,disposed adjacent the railway track and being connected to a source ofpower through a circuit by any sultable coni0 trolling means to beoperated as a car approaches a turning point.

An object of the invention is to produce a simple, inexpensive andeffective means for producing a mechanism for accomplishing theoperation and holding of the switch point.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the railway track and the mechanism employedin the switch operating and holding device.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of several of the major parts employedinFig. 1 to illustrate the double toggle joint employed.

A ground box 10, preferably made of castiron, is disposed adjacent rail11 of a railway, in which is carried the usual switch point 12, it beingattached to lever 13, pivoted at.

14 to the ground box 10 and so proportioned that a relatively freemovement exists as these parts move from the straight line positionshown by dotted lines in the drawing to the curve track position whichisillustrated by full lines. Pivoted to leverl3 at 13a is a tri-armed ortertiary lever 15, and pivoted on to its two shorter arms at 15a, 156,are heads 16, 17 in which are located guide rods 16a, 17a and whichcarry on the far ends, heads 18, 19, the former being pivoted to a post10a, a part of the box 10, the latter being pivoted to a lug 10?) whichis also a part of ground box 10. Rods 16a, 17a are slidably mounted inheads 18, 17 and are screwed into heads 16, 19 respectively. Springs16?), 17 b are shown for a fixed tension, but an adjustable tension maybe pro- 5 vided by including a nut disposed on the rods.

Springs 16b, 17b surround rods 16a, 17a, respectively and engage theheads to form units which may be termed bolts. These are located andadjusted so as to continually exert pressure through levers 13, 15 andthereby hold all the moving parts in either of the rest positions,indicated by the full and dotted lineswhich means the device will lockthe switch'point for either straight or curvedtrack.

Itis apparent that the switch point will not be only held underrelatively, abnormally high pressure, but that if tongue 12 is moved byanyforce applied from the tongue itself, it will be forced by-the springequipment to return to its original position, To illustrate this action,consider Fig. 1 with parts shown as solid lines. If the tongue is nowmoved to left, only coil spring 17?) will be compressed, and norotational movement of lever 15 on pivot 13a results because the pivotpin 15b is beyond a straight line extending from pivot point 13a to 106.Furthermore spring 16?) is exerting a force on lever 15 to prevent anyrotation. Parts .are thus so positioned and proportioned that onecompression member will hold the other compression'member in a lockedposition and that one compression member forces the tongue toone'position after being brought to a prac-. tical center by thesolenoid plunger and the other compression member similarly functionsfor the reverse movement.

In Fig. 2 a center line indicated by c, 0 exv tends through the pivotpoints of the compression member bolts, two of which are incheated onthis figure as 15a, 156. Any movement of the tri-arm lever 15 from thatshown results in a decreased lever arm lengthior one spring compressionmember and an increasing length for the other memberas shown in Fig. 1;here consider an extension of the center lines for each bolt in terms ofthe distance from pivot 13a Thesedistances are the length of moment arm.The movement of the mechanism shown in full line position in the lastnamed figure to the dotted line position and vice versa show anincreasing lever arm length of a given arm and a decreasing lever armlength of the other arm which takes place whenever the switch point isshifted from one position to the other. Attention is especially directedto the unstable position of the mechanism which can readily be observedfrom a consideration of Fig. 2.

If at any time it may become necessary to throw the switch point by handit will be possible to do so by manually moving lever 15. An operationof this kind is a simple matter owing to the relatively great leverageover the bolts.

From the long arm of 15 there is pivoted a link 20, the other end ofwhich is pivoted to plunger 21 made of magnetic and non-magneticmaterial and so disposed that the magnetic material will be responsiveto magnetic flux created by passing of current into solenoids 22, 23 ofground magnet G. M. lVhen the former is excited the plunger will take upthe position shown in dotted lines and when 23 coil is excited, lever 15and its related parts will take up the position shown in full lines.These solenoids are mounted in a magnetic housing 24 which can besecured in any suitable manner to ground box 10. It will be seen thatthe switch tongue will be thrown and held in a definite position wheneither solenoid has been energized and operated to move the parts toeither of the positions shown.

The movement employed in this switching device can be classed as adouble toggle having a neutral or central position as showndiagrammatically in Fig. :2, the center lines being designated by C, Cand L, L. When actuated even slightly from this center position,-thebolts will force the moving parts to rapidly and forcibly travel to thelimit which is determined by switch point 12 which 1s directly connectedto lever 13, through rod 12a having an articulation at 13a. It will beseen that when at rest, both springs are exerting pressure to firmlyhold the switch point in a selected position and that upon excitation oftheir solenoid, these springs are strained by the movement of thetri-armed lever 15 without movement of lever 13 until the central linehas been approximately reached at which stage the switch point and itsassociated parts move to the position under selection through thecombined force of springs and remaining effort produced by the solenoid.

WVhile I have shown a preferred arrangement of the principles employedin my switch operating device, many variations can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, therefore, I wish to belimited only by the appended claims:

I claim: I

1. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point connected to a spring controlled compound toggle jointprovided with a pair of articulated levers, and a pair of spring-pressedbolts pivoted at their outer ends to a stationary member and pivoted attheir other ends to one of said levers whereby the levers and bolts areconnected through articulations to said switch point.

2. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point connected to a spring controlled compound toggle jointprovided with a pair of articulated movable levers, and a pair ofspringpressed bolts pivoted at their outer ends to a stationary memberand pivoted at their other ends to one of said levers whereby the leversand bolts are connected through articulations to said switch point, oneof said articulated levers being pivoted to said station ary member.

3. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point, an-actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of adouble toggle joint disposed. in operative relation to the switch pointand said actuating means, said double toggle joint consisting of a pairof interarticulated levers and a pair of springpressed bolts havingarticulations with said levers.

4. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point, an actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of adouble toggle joint employing a pair of inter-articulated leversdisposed in operative relation to the switch point and said actuatingmeans, said double toggle oint consisting of a pair of inter-articulatedlevers and a pair of spring-pressed bolts having articulations with saidlovers.

5. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point, an actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of adouble toggle joint on ploying a pair of inter-articulated leversmovable about a stationary point and disposed in operative relation tothe switch point and said actuating means, said double toggle jointconsisting of a pair of interarticulated levers and a pair of springpressed bolts having articulations with said levers.

6. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point, an actuating means and a connecting linkage composed of adouble toggle oint employin g a pair of inter-articulated levers movablein relation to a stationary member disposed in operative relation to theswitch point and said actuating means, said double toggle jointconsisting of a pair of inter-articulated levers and a pair ofspring-pressed bolts havarticulated movable levers, and a pair of springpressed bolts pivoted at their outer ends to a stationary member andpivoted at their other ends to one of said levers whereby the levers andbolts are connected through articulations, said lever being providedwith an operating extension, one of said articulated levers beingpivoted at its inner end to said stationary member and having a pivot atits outer end for connection to said switch point.

8. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point connected to a spring controlled compound to le 'ointrovided with aair of inter-' articulated movable levers, and a pair ofspring pressed bolts pivoted at their outer ends to a stationary memberand pivoted at their other cues to one of said levers whereby the leversand bolts are connected through articulations, said lever being providedwith an operating extension, one of said articulated lever-s beingpivoted at its inner end to said stationary member and having a pivot atits outer end for connection to said switch point, also to articulatesaid other lever.

9. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point, a tensioning member, a switch point rod, actuating meansand a connecting linkage composed of a lever having a movable axis andarticulated with said rod, with said actuating means and with saidtensioning member, said member being also articulated to a stationarymember.

10. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point, tensioning members, a switch point rod, actuating meansand a connecting linkage composed of a lever with tertiary armsarticulated with said rod, with said actuating means and with saidtensioning members, said tensioning member being also articulated to astationary member.

11. In an electrically operated switch throwing device comprising aswitch point, tensioning members, a switch point rod, actuating meansand a connecting linkage composed of two levers, one of which isprovided with tertiary arms articulated with said rod, with saidactuating means and said pair of tensioning members, said members beingalso articulated to a stationary member, the other lever beingarticulated at one end with said rod and at the other end with thestationary member.

12. In a track switching device comprising a switch point carrying anauxiliary bearing at which is articulated a unitary tri-armed rotatablelever, to two arms of which are diametrically articulated tensioningmembers, so disposed that one tensioning member will force and hold theother tensioning memher in a set position against movement from theswitch point. a

13. In a track switching device comprising a switch point carrying anextension equipped with a remote bearing at which is articulated aunitary tri-armed lever, to two arms of which are diametricallyarticulated tensioning members remote to said bearing so disposed thatone tensioning member will hold the other tensioning member in a setposition against movement from the switch point.

14. In a track switching device comprising a' switch point carrying anauxiliary re mote bearing at which is articulated a unitary tri-armedlever, to two arms of which are diametrically articulated tensioningmembeis, remote to said hearing so disposed that one tensioning memberwill exert force to the switch point through movement in one directionand the other tensioning member will similarly function for the reversemovement.

15. In a track switch device comprising a switch point carrying anextensionequipped with a remote bearing at which is articulated aunitary tri-armed lever, to two arms of; which are diametricallyarticulated tensioning members, remote to said bearing so disposed thatone tensioning member will exert force to the switch point throughmovement in one direction and the other tensioning member will similarlyfunction for a reverse movement.

16. In a switch operating device comprising a driving member, a drivenmember, an operating lever and a pair of tensioning members articulatedwith said lever and a stationary member so disposed that a force appliedby the driving member produces a rotation of said lever and a forceapplied to the driven member produces a movement of translation opposedby one of said tensioning members.

17'. In a'track switching device comprising a switch point pivoted tothe track and carrying an auxiliary bearing at which is articulated aunitary tri-arm rotatable lever, to two arms of which are oppositelyarticulated tension members so disposed that from a central position onetensioning member will operate and hold the switch point which is throwninto locked position by the other tensioning member, said forces beingutilized through a toggle mechanism, in combination with means forrotating said tri-arm lever from one locked position into and beyondsaid central position.

18. In a'switch throwing mechanism, two tensioning springs operatingupon one another through a toggle mechanism so that one. has anincreasing lever arm and the other a decreasing lever arm in'anymovement of said toggle mechanism, whereby the force of one spring willapply the other spring force so as to lock said switch.

19. In a switch throwing mechanism, two tensioning springs operatingupon one an other through a toggle mechanism so that one has anincreasing lever arm and the other a decreasing lever arm in anymovement of said toggle mechanism, whereby the force of one spring willapply the other spring force so as to lock said switch through saidtoggle mech anism.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. ROBERT E. T'AFEL.

